Question 1

How much is a blue sapphire worth?

Accepted Answer

Prices depend on colour, clarity, cut, carat, origin, and treatment. Certified unheated Ceylon blue sapphires range from a few hundred dollars per carat to tens of thousands for fine large stones.

Question 2

What is the best colour for a blue sapphire?

Accepted Answer

The most valued is a vivid, medium-to-medium-dark, slightly violetish blue — trade terms include "royal blue" and, historically, "cornflower blue" for Kashmir-type stones.

Question 3

How can you tell if a sapphire is real?

Accepted Answer

Reliable identification requires a gemmological laboratory — natural sapphires have inclusion patterns and trace-element signatures that help distinguish them from synthetics, while refractive index and specific gravity can distinguish sapphire from simulants such as glass or cubic zirconia.

Question 4

What is the rarest gemstone in Sri Lanka?

Accepted Answer

Padparadscha sapphire and natural colour-change alexandrite are the two rarest — padparadscha for its unique pink-orange colour, alexandrite for daylight-to-incandescent colour change.

Question 5

Are sapphires a good investment?

Accepted Answer

Fine unheated Ceylon sapphires with lab reports from GIA, GRS, or Gübelin have attracted strong collector interest — but values are market-dependent, and past performance does not guarantee future value.

Question 6

What is the difference between natural and heated sapphire?

Accepted Answer

An unheated sapphire has not been thermally treated after mining. Heated sapphires are put through controlled high-temperature treatment to improve colour and clarity — the treatment is permanent and stable, but it changes value.

Question 7

How to read a gemstone certificate

Accepted Answer

A lab report identifies the stone, states its measurements and weight, and — most importantly — declares treatment status and often origin. Learn what each field means.

Question 8

Why are Ceylon sapphires so expensive?

Accepted Answer

Ceylon sapphires command a premium because of their colour range, high clarity, unmatched heritage, and the increasing scarcity of certified unheated material.

Question 9

What carat size sapphire should I buy?

Accepted Answer

Depends entirely on the setting and budget. Engagement rings are typically 1.0–3.0 ct; statement pieces move to 5 ct and above. Price per carat rises steeply above 3 ct for fine unheated material.

Question 10

Is a GIA certificate worth it?

Accepted Answer

For any sapphire over ~1 ct or over a few hundred dollars in value, an independent lab report (GIA, GRS, or equivalent) is essential — it verifies identity, treatment, and often origin.

Ceylon Sapphire FAQ